Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you explain what the Commitment is?

The Commitment is our new strategy that underpins all aspects of the company. It aims to reaffirm The Body Shop's position as leaders in ethical business and will define the next stage of development of The Body Shop.

The Commitment will support The Body Shop's vision to achieve true sustainability and to be the most ethical global business in the world. It is an extensive programme of global activity and measurable targets that touches all areas of the business, to be delivered by 2020, and marks the first step on our journey to reaching our vision. The Body Shop has always believed that business can be a force for good, and the new Enrich Not Exploit™ Commitment advances the principles on which The Body Shop was built.

We have set ourselves a challenging and significant aspiration of achieving true sustainability and to be the most ethical global business in the world. For us, being truly sustainable means shaping our business to work in line with the planet’s natural systems and processes, allowing continual replenishment and restoration to ultimately create conditions for us all to flourish. It means understanding how our business is contributing to our existence on the planet – both positive and negative. It’s understanding what we need to change to contribute to a sustainable future.

Build bio-bridges, protecting and regenerating 75 million square metres of habitat helping communities to live more sustainably

Reduce the environmental footprint of our stores every time we refurbish or redesign them

Develop and deliver three new sustainable packaging innovations

Ensure that 70% of our total product packaging does not contain fossil fuels

Power 100% of our stores with renewable or carbon balanced energy

Reduce by 10% the energy use of all our stores

3. How did you choose the targets?

We chose our targets based on the areas we can have the greatest impact and on the issues that matter most to our business and help us towards our vision. It is essential that our employees and customers feel inspired by our Commitment and what we want to achieve. Our 14 targets help tackle important issues where we know we can deliver real change. They focus on the needs of our planet and society.

4. Why are you doing this now?

Our 40th anniversary seemed like the appropriate time to look at what we’ve achieved and how we can continue to be a trail blazer for the next 40 years. The Body Shop is a company that has pioneered different ways of thinking, talking and acting. Our ground-breaking campaigns changed laws on animal testing, domestic violence and human trafficking. We were the first in the beauty industry to use community trade and we still have the strongest community trade programme in the industry. We want to continue this legacy by pushing the boundaries to protect our planet for future generations. It’s what we’ve always done and what we want to continue to achieve.

5. Why is it called Enrich Not Exploit™ It's in our hands?

As a company, we seek to protect and enhance the planet, its people and our products in every part of our business: ingredients, products, packaging, stores and campaigns. Under each pillar we have specific, measurable targets that make us accountable for delivery. "It’s in our hands" means we acknowledge that we have the power to make positive changes in the world as a business and have the responsibility to do that; but also that we all, every one of us including all our customers, have the power to make a positive difference in people’s lives. We believe that this statement is strong and honest.

It is much more than a campaign strapline or marketing promotion. It’s how we define our journey towards fulfilling our vision to achieve true sustainability and being the most ethical global business in the world. Our Commitment aims to empower everyone in the company to embrace a new way of working, with new objectives and ambitious targets, which will deliver high impact performance and ground-breaking projects.

6. Why are you changing your 5 values?

The Body Shop always believed that business could be a force for good, an ethos that together with our five values has embodied our company for the last 40 years. Our values have guided us well for 40 years. However, the world has changed in that time, and it’s time for us to change too.

Our Enrich Not Exploit™ Commitment allows us to evolve, strengthen and go further than the original values. For example, we’ve long said that we will protect the planet; now we aim to deliver and go further by actively enriching areas of outstanding natural beauty and biodiversity through our campaigns. Our long-standing position Against Animal Testing remains unchanged.

7. How will you measure your impact?

Each of our targets is underpinned by a number of Key Performance Indicators. We also have strong governance structures already in place, with a new Commitment Advisory Committee responsible for managing and monitoring our impacts and activities across key areas such as product formulae, sourcing, packaging, manufacturing and stores. The Advisory Committee will report back regularly to our CEO. We will also publish a yearly report detailing our progress, achievements and some of the challenges we have faced. We are dedicated to being 100% transparent on our progress against our targets.

8. Are you still against animal testing?

This core value is still an integral part of our organisation. The Body Shop has always believed passionately that animals should not be used for cosmetic testing. We have never tested any of our ingredients or products on animals and we never will.

9. What difference will the new Commitment make to the world?

Our vision is to achieve true sustainability and to be the most ethical global business in the world.

Advances in science and technology have given the world new knowledge. We have used this knowledge to develop our Commitment which embraces an integrated approach to sustainability

We celebrate diversity and reject a stereotype of beauty

Our products nourish, enrich and uplift but never make false promises and are never tested on animals